On February 4-5, 2026, the international conference Energy Week Black Sea 2026 was held in Bucharest, Romania — one of the key regional platforms for discussing energy security and the development of renewable energy in the Black Sea region.
The conference was attended by the companies participating in the UWEA, led by the Deputy Chairman of the Board of UWEA and partner of the law firm LCF Ivan Bondarchuk, who made a presentation on the topic: “2026 is a critical year for the restoration of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure: challenges and opportunities.”
Participation in the forum once again confirmed that the stability of the Ukrainian energy system directly affects regional security. During the discussions, the recent grid outages in Romania and Moldova, caused by the events in Ukraine, were repeatedly mentioned, which emphasizes the deep interconnectedness of the region’s markets.
Despite the challenges of wartime, Ukraine remains a strategically attractive country for investment. Key points from Ivan Bondarchuk’s speech:
- Market dynamics: Although 56% of the 2.3 GW of wind capacity is occupied, the industry is showing resilience. The focus of development has shifted to the western regions, but construction continues in the south.
- Real indicators: 572 MW have been commissioned during the full-scale war, with over 700 MW under construction, along with 500 MW of battery energy storage systems (BESS).
- Investment potential: Over 4 GW of projects are under development, with about 50% of investment already provided by international partners.
A special emphasis was placed on the fact that 2026 should be the year of transition from one-off transactions to deep partnerships. In the conditions of the new “risk economy”, the main task of developers and investors is not to avoid threats, but to structure them competently through joint development tools (JDA/DSA), forecasted PPAs and insurance mechanisms.
Ukraine has proven its ability to build during the war. The next step is to scale up investments, which is crucial for the energy stability of the entire Black Sea region.
We thank the organizers of Energy Week Black Sea for the opportunity to present the vision of the Ukrainian wind energy sector and our colleagues for the meaningful dialogue.
